Saxenda - Appetite Medication??

I know most of you have already had your surgery but I am just beginning my journey. I had my first appointment at the Wharton Clinic. Had a great talk with the BE and then the doctor came in.

His first question was asking if I was interested in surgery and I said I was but I want to start working on my diet while I was going through the process.

His second question was asking me if I have medical insurance to cover Saxenda, a daily self injection to help suppress appetite.

I am not sure how I feel about these shots. Does anyone have any experience with it or any information you would like to share?

Hi Melly,

A healthcare provider I saw also said I could try Saxenda just prior to me starting this whole journey but it's very expensive and my insurance wasn't going to cover it anyway. I was leery about it anyway since it's just another chemical to confuse your body.

I also wanted to start losing weight well before my surgery, once I met with the nutritionist I just started eating what they suggested and the weight started coming off. I'd guess I started eating the way I was told about March or April and I'm down 70 lbs today so I'm very pleased with that.

Much safer in my opinion!

Good luck and feel free to email/inbox me if you want to know basically what I eat/drink. :)

Thank you. I would love to know some of your go to's for food. I was hoping the nutritionist I had a appointment with was going to give me a meal plan but she just said to keep my calories around 1600.

I agree it is expensive. I could not afford it but my insurance will cover it.

WOW 70lbs!! That is freaking fantastic!! Congrats!!

I lost weight prior to surgery by changing habits and eating the way I was supposed eat post surgery.

I started by cutting out processed carbs. Pop went first. Once pop was out of the way, desserts got tossed. Then sugar in my coffee got replaced by sweetener. Now I don't even use sweetener in my coffee. I started limiting my bread intake. Once I got that all happening on a reqular basis I moved on to protein.

I lowered my carb intake (but didn't go low carb) and I increased lean protein. I started eating protein first and then the other stuff. I created that habit.

I was also told to go to approx 1600 calories per day. I started tracking on My Fitness Pal. I analyzed what I was eating, how much and when. I stopped DRINKING calories and began eating calories. I realized I drank a lot of milk. Not that it's bad for you but each drink was 110 calories. Well, 110 calories of lean protein did way more to fill me up and keep me satiated than the milk. I made that change.

I loved my Starbucks Caramel Macchiato and was having 1 every day at work. It was pretty eye opening to see how many calories were in that. So, I started working on a way to have 2 a week rather than 5. A skinny caramel macchiato made with unsweetened soy, sugar free syrup and no caramel drizzle or whipped cream is the way to go. It became a treat and I still enjoyed it.

I made sure to treat myself but not congratulate myself. I went to a wedding - I had cake. I went to a BBQ - I had potato salad. But I made it work. I set parameters but made sure I didn't feel deprived.

This is how I got my head in the game and I think it served me incredibly well and prepared me for my life post surgery. I remember asking my Dietician, at the 6 week post op appointment, when I could go back to eating normally again? I wasn't asking about the way I ate before I began the process. My new normal had become my life long way of eating. I realized I had created the new habit and tossed the old. It was so liberating.

I lost between 40 - 50 lbs prior to surgery. I can't actually remember now.

So much of this process in mental and emotional. That's the real battle. If you can take the time BEFORE surgery and work on little things to change 1 by 1 it will be huge in the long run. Don't try to change everything at once. You will set yourself up for failure. One thing at a time. Master it and then when you're ready move on to the next thing.

Good Luck and I applaud you for wanting to get started now.

Not only is it very expensive, but the side effects can be very unpleasant. It is essentially the same drug as the diabetes drug, Victoza, simply at a higher dose. I took Victoza and lost thirty pounds, and had very few issues with it. My husband took it and lost very little weight but experienced unbearable side effects, and stopped taking it.

If you can afford it, go ahead and try it, but know that it may be unpleasant, and you can probably get the same results by tracking everything you eat (can be eye opening), and making healthy changes.

Good luck with everything!

Thank you for sharing your experience. I was reading reviews online and a lot of people had horrible side effects. My insurance will cover the cost but I don't think this is something I am comfortable with.

I think I have a few more avenues (including tracking) to try before I will consider taking this doctor up on this medication.

As others have stated this is essentially a stronger dose of Victoza, I was on Victoza as an option to treat type 2 diabetes and lost about 20 pounds, but I mainly chalk that up to the constant nausea I experienced in the first couple month I took it, when my benefits changed and total $$'s of drugs became an issue I switched to Insulin as I was also concerned about how the drug designed to work and possible organ damage from long term use. I wouldn't recommend it.

Thanks Michelle, I think I am going to take everyones advise and stay away from it.